Chapter # 4 Development and Quality Plans 435-INFS-3 Software Quality Assurance Chapter # 4 Development and Quality Plans Software Quality Assurance from Theory to Implementation by Daniel Galin Prepared by: S.Hashmi

Development plan and quality plan objectives Planning, as a process, has several objectives, each of which is meant to prepare adequate foundations for the following: (1) Scheduling development activities that will lead to the successful and timely completion of the project, and estimating the required manpower resources and budget. (2) Recruiting team members and allocating development resources (according to activity schedules and manpower resource requirement estimates). (3) Resolving development risks. (4) Implementing required SQA activities. (5) Providing management with data needed for project control. Elements of the development plan (1) Project products: The development plan includes the following products: ■ Design documents specifying dates of completion, indicating those items to be delivered to the customer (“deliverables”) ■ Software products (specifying completion date and installation site) ■ Training tasks (specifying dates, participants and sites).

Continue (2) Project interfaces Project interfaces include: ■ Interfaces with existing software packages (software interface) ■ Interfaces with other software and/or hardware development teams that are working on the same system or project (i.e., cooperation and coordination links) ■ Interfaces with existing hardware (hardware interface). (3) Project methodology and development tools to be applied at each phase of the project (4) Software development standards and procedures: A list should be prepared of the software development standards and procedures to be applied in the project. (5) The mapping of the development process :Mapping of the development process involves providing detailed definitions of each of the project’s phases. These descriptions include definitions of inputs and outputs, and the specific activities planned. Activity descriptions include: (a) An estimate of the activity’s duration

Continue (b) The logical sequence in which each activity is to be performed, including a description of each activity’s dependence on previously completed activities. (c) The type of professional resources required and estimates of how much of these resources are necessary for each activity. Several methods are available for scheduling and graphically presenting the development process. One of the most commonly used methods is the GANTT chart, which displays the various activities by horizontal bars whose lengths are proportional to the activity’s duration. (6) Project milestones For each milestone, its completion time and project products (documents and code) are to be defined. (7) Project staff organization The organization plan comprises: ■ Organizational structure: definition of project teams and their tasks, including teams comprised of a subcontractor’s temporary workers.

Continue ■ Professional requirements: professional certification, experience in a specific programming language or development tool, experience with a specific software product and type, and so forth. ■ Number of team members required for each period of time, according to the activities scheduled ■ Names of team leaders and team members (8) Development facilities Required development facilities include hardware, software and hardware development tools, office space, and other items. For each facility, the period required for its use should be indicated on the timetable. (9) Development risks Development risks are inherent in any project. A development risk is “a state or property of a development task or environment, which, if ignored, will increase the likelihood of project failure” Typical development risks are:

Continue ■ Technological gaps – Lack of adequate and sufficient professional knowledge and experience to carry out the demands of the development contract. ■ Staff shortages – Unanticipated shortfalls of professional staff. ■ Interdependence of organizational elements – The likelihood that suppliers of specialized hardware or software subcontractors, for example, will not fulfill their obligations on schedule. (10) Control methods: In order to control project implementation, the project manager and the department management apply a series of monitoring practices when preparing progress reports and coordinating meetings (11) Project cost estimation Project cost estimates are based on proposal costs estimates, followed by a thorough review of their continued relevance based on updated human resource estimates, contracts negotiated with subcontractors and suppliers, and so forth. Elements of the quality plan: (1) Quality goals:The term “quality goals” refers to the developed software system’s substantive quality requirements.

Continue (2) Planned review activities The quality plan should provide a complete listing of all planned review activities: design reviews (DRs), design inspections, code inspections, and so on, with the following determined for each activity: ■ The scope of the review activity ■ The type of the review activity ■ The schedule of review activities (as defined by its priority and the succeeding activities of the project process) ■ The specific procedures to be applied ■ Who is responsible for carrying out the review activity? (3) Planned software tests The quality plan should provide a complete list of planned software tests, with the following designated for each test: ■ The unit, integration or the complete system to be tested ■ The type of testing activities to be carried out, including specification of computerized software tests to be applied

Continue ■ The planned test schedule (as defined by its priority and the succeeding activities of the project process) ■The specific procedures to be applied ■ Who is responsible for carrying out the test (4) Planned acceptance tests for externally developed software A complete list of the acceptance tests planned for externally developed software should be provided within the quality plan. Items to be included are (a) purchased software, (b) software developed by subcontractors, and (c) customer-supplied software. (5) Configuration management The quality plan should specify configuration management tools and procedures, including those change-control procedures meant to be applied throughout the project. The quality plan document, its format and approval

Continue The quality plan may be prepared as part of the development plan or as an independent document. In some cases, the plan is divided into several documents by item category, such as DR plan, testing plan, and plan for externally developed software acceptance tests Development plans and quality plans for small projects Benefits: For small development projects (of not less than 15 man-days), preparation of development and quality plans is optional. However, one should consider the substantial advantages obtained by the plan’s developer. The main advantages of plan preparation are improvements in the developer’s understanding of the task, and greater commitment to complete the project as planned. In addition, the plan documents contribute to a better understanding between the developer and the customer, and easier and more effective project control. Recommended elements of development and quality plans for small projects The development plan: ■ Project products, indicating “deliverables”

Continue ■ Project benchmarks ■ Development risks ■ Estimates of project costs The quality plan: Several advantages to “planned” small projects over “unplanned” projects can be identified, even for “reduced” plans: (1) A more comprehensive and thorough understanding of the task is attained. (2) Greater responsibility for meeting obligations can be assigned. (3) It becomes easier for management and customers to share control of the project and to identify unexpected delays early on. (4) Better understandings with respect to the requirements and timetable can be reached between the developer and the customer. Development plans and quality plans for internal projects: Internal projects are those projects intended for use by other departments in the organization or by the entire organization, as well as those projects dealing with software package development for the software market.

Continue It is recommended that internal projects, undertaken on behalf of other departments and for development of software packages geared toward the market, be treated as “regular projects”. This implies that full-scale development and quality plans are to be prepared. Software development departments can enjoy the following advantages of plan preparation: (1) Avoiding budget overruns. This is of special importance where the profit center system is applied. (2) Avoiding damage to other projects caused by delays in release of professionals occupied in an internal project. (3) Avoiding loss of market status, especially regarding the firm’s reputation, caused by delayed completion of external projects triggered by late completion of internal projects Internal “customers” can enjoy the following advantages: (1) Smaller deviations from planned completion dates and smaller budget overruns.  

Continue (2) Better control over the development process, including earlier identification of possible delays that enables the search for and resolution of their causes. (3) Fewer internal delay damages. The organization can enjoy these advantages: (1) Reduced risk of market loss (i.e., opportunity window) due to late arrival of the product. (2) Reduced risk of being sued for late supply of products; hence, reduced penalties for non-compliance with contract demands. (3) Reduced risk of impairing the firm’s reputation as a reliable software developer. (4) Reduced risk of requesting a budget supplement

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